E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014

Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

THE TRANSLATION OF SIMILE IN THE HUNGER GAMES NOVEL:

TRANSLATION STRATEGIES
Wan Nor Hazwani Wan Ramli
Faculty of Management and Muamalah,
International Islamic College University Selangor,
hazwani@kuis.edu.my
ABSTRACT
Simile is one of the elements that can be found in a literary text. It is a common figure of
speech found in many languages that represents the semantic structure. It can be challenging
for a translator to translate this element since different languages possess different world
view and interpretation on the simile. This study will identify the similes and strategies used
by the translator in translating this element. To collect the relevant data, the whole original
text of The Hunger Games novel will be read thoroughly and finally examples of simile will
be extracted from it. Later, through comparing the English similes and their translations, the
type of strategy used for translating the simile will be determined. The data will be analyzed
using strategies proposed by Pierini (2007).
Keywords: Literary translation, translation strategy, simile translation, The Hunger Games.
___________________________________________________________________________
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Aesthetic value is one of the elements that should be taken into consideration by translators
when they are translating literary texts. However, not all the sentences can be translated
literally or considered as a single unit of translation in order to retain this value. So, as
translators they should be very particular with this kind of situation. Even though they want
to retain the values but they have to remember that there are things that cannot be translated
literally in literary texts. For example, figure of speech that occurs in literary texts. This
figure of speech cannot be translated literally.
Simile is one of the common figures of speech that found in literary texts. According to
Pierini (2007:25), similes fulfil an aesthetic function and are usually creative, and it is a way
of talking about something in a surprising way. It cannot be translated literally since it may
cause misinterpretation in other languages. Misinterpretation of the similes could happen
when they have different point of similarity or image in other languages. This is one of the
challenges that has to be faced by translators. There are also situations when translators
cannot understand the real meaning of the similes in the source language and these will also
lead to misunderstanding to the target readers. According to Larson (1984: 250) not all the
similes can be easily understood and it is usually cannot be translated literally.
Based on this situation, it is interesting to identify the strategies applied by translators in
translating figures of speech particularly the translation of similes from English into Malay.
As we know, the divergences of two language systems may pose translation problems to the
translators. Furthermore, two different cultures may use different images in expressing the
same thing.

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E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014
Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Kennedy and Gioia (2002), simile is a comparison of two things, indicated by
some connective, usually like, as, than, or a verb such as resembles and it is usually compares
two things that initially seem unlike but are shown to have a significant resemblance. These
two markers, which are like and as are used to identify the similes.
There are few researchers that have conducted researches on similes. Pierini (2007) has
discussed on the nature and function of similes. She has classified simile into certain criteria
and their interpretation. The study also examined a range of similes which illustrate the
translation problems that posed by similes. She also discussed on strategies that can be
adopted for problems stated. According to Pierini (2007), there are 6 different strategies that
can be applied in translating simile. The strategies are: (1) literal translation (retention of the
same vehicle), (2) replacement of the vehicle with a different vehicle, (3) reduction of the
simile, if idiomatic, to its sense, (4) retention of the same vehicle plus explicitation of
similarity feature(s), (5) replacement of the vehicle with a gloss and (6) omission of the
simile.
Israel, Harding and Tobin (2004) discussed simile as a figure on its own right, and as an
object of study which distinct both from metaphorical expression and literal comparison.
Larson (1984) also discussed simile and metaphor together. According to her, a metaphor or
simile has four parts including topic, image, point of similarity and nonfigurative
equivalent. She also divided the simile and metaphor into dead and live categories. Finally,
she proposed five ways to translate metaphors of which three can be applied to translation of
similes. They are: (1) Substitute a simile of the receptor language which has the same
meaning; (2) keep the same simile and explain the meaning, that is, the topic and/or point of
similarity may be added; and (3) translate the meaning of the simile without keeping the
metaphorical imagery.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Materials of the Study
The Hunger Games novel and its Malay translation were used for materials of the study. The
researcher used a pdf version of The Hunger Games novel to extract the similes, then cross
validated with the hard copy of The Hunger Games novel to ensure that there were no
differences in the lexical used in the pdf version with the hard copy version. The translation
of similes was extracted using the hard copy version of The Hunger Games translated novel.
Like and as markers were used to identify the similes in the pdf version.
3.2 Procedure of the Study
To carry out the present research, the following steps were taken. First, the Hunger Games
novel was chosen as the main data source. The researcher browsed the web and selected a pdf
version of The Hunger Games. Then, similes and its translation were identified. There were
44 similes with like marker and 16 smiles with as marker found in the text. The researcher
compared the similes and their translation in order to identify the strategies adopted by the
translator.

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E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014
Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

Later, to analyze the data, Pierinis (2007) model was selected. She proposed six strategies
that can be adopted to translate similes. Through comparing the English and Malay texts, the
type of strategy used for each simile was determined. The frequency of the strategies applied in
the translation was counted so that finally the percentage could be presented in the next subtopic.
4.0 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Based on the data analysis, below is the percentage of strategies selected by the translator.
There are 4 strategies adopted by the translator. The strategies were: (1) literal translation, (2)
reduction of the simile, if idiomatic, to its sense, (3) retention of the same vehicle plus
explicitation of similarity feature(s) and (4) omission of the simile.
Table 4.1 Frequency (percentage) of simile translation strategies applied in the The Hunger Games

Strategy
1. Literal translation (retention of
the same vehicle
2. Replacement of the vehicle with a
different vehicle
3. Reduction of the simile, if
idiomatic, to its sense
4. Retention of the same vehicle
plus explicitation of similarity
feature(s)
5. Replacement of the vehicle with a
gloss
6. Omission of the simile

Total

Frequency
(percentage)
45 (75%)
0
12 (20%)
1(1.7%)
0
2 (3.3%)
60 (100%)

The purpose of this study is to identify the translation strategies used by translator to translate
similes. The findings of the study show that among the six strategies proposed by Pierini
(2007) to translate simile, the translators applied the first strategy, literal translation, much
more than the other strategies and also another three strategies which are reduction of the
simile, if idiomatic, to its sense, retention of the same vehicle plus explicitation of similarity
feature(s) and omission of the simile. On the other hand, the other two strategies were not
used are, replacement of the vehicle with a gloss and replacement of the vehicle with a
different vehicle. Literal translation was mostly used in the translation because it still can be
understood and acceptable in Malay language. The translator has reduced the idiomatic
meaning of the simile to its sense thus omitting the simile because the similes were not used
in Malay language and it can be misunderstood by the readers. The other two strategies were
avoided by translator because they were quite hard for the translator to be replaced with
another similes that have the same meaning as the similes in the original text. To retain the
similes together with an explanation was not an option to the translator since it may reduce
the aesthetic values of the original text.

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E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014
Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

4.1 Literal translation

Example 1
ST (source text): Even so, I always take a moment to listen carefully for the hum that means
the fence is live. Right now, its silent as a stone. Concealed by a clump of bushes, I flatten
out on my belly and slide under a two-foot stretch thats been loose for years. (page 5)
TT (target text): Walaupun begitu, aku selalu berhenti sejenak untuk mendengar bunyi
desiran yang menandakan pagar itu berfungsi. Sekarang, ia senyap bagaikan batu.
Terlindung di sebalik serumpun semak samun, aku meniarap dan menyusur di bawah pagar
sepanjang dua kaki yang menjadi longgar sejak bertahun lamanya. (page 5)
In example 1, the translator just retained the same vehicle which is stone as a comparison to
silent since both languages has the same interpretation of the similes. So, this sentence can
be easily translated since the vehicle that has been used in the source text could be interpreted
in a same way in the target text. The translator had chosen the appropriate strategy in
handling the simile.
4.2 Retention of the same vehicle plus explicitation of similarity feature(s)
Example 2
ST: Hes one of the giants, probably six and a half feet tall and built like an ox, but I noticed
he rejected the invitations from the Career Tributes to join their crowd. (page 146)
TT: Dia sangat tinggi, barang kali enam kaki setengah dan badannya besar bagaikan
kerbau, namun aku perasan dia menolak pelawaan Ufti Harapan untuk bersama-sama
kumpulan mereka. (page 110)
In Malay, the expression besar seperti gajah, is commonly used to refer to something which
is big. However, in this context, the translator used besar bagaikan kerbau in order to
portray the physical appearance of the character. The translator chose the word kerbau
instead of gajah because she assumed that it was more suitable. Because, there is no human
that is big as an elephant. So in this situation, she chose to translate the word ox as buffalo
because ox and buffalo have similarity in term of the physical appearance. Both are bigger in
size and have horns. It is hard for the translator when dealing with two different languages
that have different images in representing the same meaning. The comparison may not be
used in the target language. If it was retained in the translation it may be unknown for the
target readers. Nevertheless, the translation still can be understood by the target readers since
the translator had used something that is known in the target language.
4.3 Reduction of the simile, if idiomatic, to its sense
Example 3
ST: Shes wrapped her skinny arms around me like a vice.(page26)
TT: Dia memeluk aku erat dengan lengannya yang kurus. (page 21)

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E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014
Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

Example 4
ST: The community home would crush her like a bug. (page 32)
TT: Rumah komuniti akan memusnahkan semangatnya. (page 25)
In example 3 and 4, the translator reduced the idiomatic meaning of the similes and rendered
the meaning of the simile instead of translating it literally. Malay language is slightly differ
from English, especially in comparing the actions or gestures in literary text. So the translator
chose to render the real meaning of the similes. In this situation, the translator had changed
the form in order to convey the meaning of the similes into target language. If the translator
translated both sentences literally, it may sound unnatural in Malay language since it is
uncommonly used in Malay. This is because both languages have different ways of
portraying the behaviours.
4.4 Omission
Example 5
ST: But thats a dark and creaky thing that moves like a snail and smells of sour milk. (page
84)
TT: no translation
Example 6
ST: Delly Cartwright is a pasty-faced, lumpy girl with yellowish hair who looks about as
much like our server as a beetle does a butterfly. (page 90)
TT: Delly Cartwright ialah seorang gadis berwajah pucat dan gempal dengan rambut
berwarna kuning yang kelihatan seperti gadis itu. (page 69)
In example 5 and 6, the similes have been omitted in the translation. The translator may
found it difficult to be translated or because it does not disturb the meaning of the story so the
similes was omitted in the target text. The meaning of source text still can be understood by
the target readers. If the translator translated the sentence literally it does not give the same
effects as the original text. That is why the translator chose to omit the translation in the
target language.
CONCLUSION
As a conclusion, there are few strategies that can be used in translating similes. In translating
The Hunger Games novel into Malay, there are only four strategies were used by translator to
translate similes which are literal translation, reduction of the simile, if idiomatic, to its sense,
retention of the same vehicle plus explicitation of similarity feature(s) and omission of the
simile. Literal translation seems to be the most strategy used by translator probably because
some of the similes can be understood and interpreted the same way in Malay. So, as
translators, they should be very particular in applying the suitable strategies when translating
similes. They have to remember that, not all similes can be translated literally. It is because
different environment and worldview will give different interpretation to similes. There are
certain images used in the simile are unknown to the target readers and if the translators do
not apply the suitable strategies it may lead to misunderstanding to the readers. So, translating
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E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah (CoMM 2014), 26-27 May 2014
Synergizing Knowledge on Management and Muamalah (E-ISBN: 978-983-3048-92-2)

similes is not an easy task. The translator should read and do some research in order to apply
the best strategies. In addition, the translator would also encounter problems in providing
same interpretation in the target language that comprises the same meaning as in the source
language. Thus, it depends on the translators whether they want to preserve the form or o
render the meaning by changing the form as long as the meaning is conveyed to the target
readers.
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